Related articles

Not the plot of an Indiana Jones film but highlights of a cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia, from CroisiEurope (020 8328 1281/croisi europe.co.uk).

Your home for eight nights is RV Indochine, a colonial-style ship with wood-panelled interior, sun deck and only 22 cabins. It’s one of the few ships to be able to enter Ho Chi Minh City, via the Chao Gao Canal, berthing here for two nights for the temples, markets and French architecture, before setting off.

There’s also an overnight stay in Phnom Pen with dance show. The finale is two nights in Siem Reap with a visit to Angkor, the largest religious complex in the world, along with other extraordinary spots.

*An 11-day Travelling Up The Mekong River cruise from £1,956pp (two sharing), full-board. Price includes two nights in a hotel in Siem Reap, excursions and some drinks. Flights extra. Departs September 7 and October 2

Combine the ancient wonders of South America with a cruise along the upper Amazon.

After a week touring Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in Peru, join the Avalon Waterways (0800 668 1801/avalon cruises.co.uk) ship Amazon Discovery in Iquitos, gateway to the river jungle.

The best cruise destinations 2016

Fri, February 26, 2016

The stunning destinations that have been ranked the best to visit in 2016

The rainforest here is alive with squawking birds, cheeky monkeys and lazy lizards, while the waters teem with river dolphins, alligators and rainbowcoloured fish.

An onboard naturalist will lead hikes to spot monkeys, sloths and exotic birds. You’ll also board skiffs and navigate the flooded forest of the PacayaSamiria Reserve at sunrise, meeting native Indians and learning about their culture and survival techniques.

After days exploring in the steamy heat, relax on Amazon Discovery, one of the most luxurious boats on the Amazon, launched last autumn, carrying only 44 guests.

PH

Amazon Discovery, one of the most luxurious boats on the Amazon

Rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and hand-finished woodwork. Menus are by a leading Peruvian chef and there’s an extensive collection of South American wines.

Drink in the sights of India

From crop to cuppa: find out how your favourite drink is grown and harvested while touring the tea estates of Assam in northeast India.

Pandaw River Expeditions (020 8326 5620/pandaw.com) offers cruises along the Brahmaputra River, which flows down from Tibet. Emerald-green plantations line the verdant banks which have the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas as a backdrop.

Watch fishermen on Majuli Island, visit ancient temples and spend two days in Unesco-protected Kaziranga National Park, where you can take a jeep safari in search of the rare one-horned rhinoceros.

If you are lucky, you can also spot elephants, tigers, panthers and bears. Also visit the Mishing, a tribe living on the world’s largest river island. On MV Mahabaahu, local textiles combine with modern facilities to offer traditional luxury for 46 guests.

Limber up with a morning yoga class, take a dip in the pool, enjoy an Ayurvedic treatment in the spa and take in the passing scenery from the sun deck.

*A seven-night Mighty Brahmaputra River cruise from £3,550pp (two sharing), full-board. Price includes excursions, transfers, flights and some drinks. Regular departures from November to April.

GETTY

From crop to cuppa: find out how your favourite drink is grown and harvested

The river to Mandalay

Viking Mandalay cruises the Irrawaddy between Mandalay and the bustling market town of Myint Mu.

But before taking to the river there are two nights each in Bangkok, with a tour of the Grand Palace and its golden pagodas, Yangon, with a visit to ornate 2,500-yearold Shwedagon Pagoda (a gold-plated temple towering above the city) and Inle Lake, lined with villages on stilts and dotted with floating gardens.